Volume 6: War and Peace in the Black Forest Chapter 17: Secret Ritual Confrontation
'You can't get through here... This is not a valid target...'
Just when the players were getting anxious like ants on a hot pan, a huge black shadow rose up in the city deep in the woods, and a sound like muffled thunder came out, which made people wonder how to complain.
But obviously , the purpose of this voice was not for the players who were blocked by monsters at the mission target. The will swept through the players, carrying a huge shadow and power, and passed through the blockade of the first seal with difficulty, arriving in front of the light column of the original seal. It seemed to be admiring, but also seemed to be regretful. Endless black fog wrapped around the light column released by Li Lin, making a harsh noise.
"Ah... Li Lin... We meet again..."
"Yes, we meet again, Father. But I can't see your old orange-peel face now."
Li Lin half-knelt on the altar, his eyes sealed with blood so that he couldn't even see the outside world.
But he could feel it all .
In the wonderful magical vision, in this small part of the world that was trapped in nightmare, Li Lin could clearly see the behemoth that was lingering around his sacrificial field. The aggregate of countless grudges and curses.
When he first joined the game, Li Lin believed that the game was well-intentioned. Facts have proven that everything was just a bubble of romance and luxury. Many people were disgusted by the truth and internal settings during the internal test, and only a few were able to survive. Li Lin was the one who faced the darkness and took it on.
Li Lin never took the hatred of the elves and the residents of the city seriously. Even though he was being strangled by countless thorns, even though those evil spirits were right in front of his aura, Li Lin didn't take them seriously. Even if they were not NPCs, even if these so-called creatures were real missions, Li Lin would still maintain his pride and despise their so-called dignity and nobility. Because that was not their glory, it was simply a tyranny built on the corpses and pain of others.
Just like what Li Lin did afterwards.
'I still remember how proud you made me... even though you were just a human... you shone so brightly...'
As if reminiscing, the huge black shadow behind the scenes said:
"You are the human I adopted... You were wandering the streets... You were as confused as a stray dog... I took you in... I taught you archaeology and religion... I also taught you swordsmanship... Those were beautiful days..."
"Yeah, I've always missed those days. I thought this place wasn't such a hardcore place, and I was planning to live a good life. The decapitation sword technique you taught me was really useful. I chopped off all of your long-eared heads one by one, and it was really easy."
"But you did something so cruel... everything fell into despair... Maybe I shouldn't have saved you... I should have let you drown in the garbage and mud... let you drink monsters as your companions... this is where you should be... As a human being... as a living being... you are too ugly... I will correct this mistake soon..."
"Then what do you know about human experiments and fungal symbiosis? You want to artificially create wood fungus life forms, using humans and other intelligent creatures as materials. You elves are really noble. There is not even a single elf in the entire laboratory. I even saw a few tree people. Should I say that your race has strong cohesion? Or are you disgusting to death? Even the tree giants who claim to be allies for all eternity have been parasitized by many of them, but you are careful about your feathers. It's a pity that plague doesn't care about bloodline."
'Whatever you say... you'll be crushed to death soon...'
The voice in the black cloud said with a smile, and black lightning and thunder swept around.
'Your allies are trapped in place... You have no way to retreat... Do you expect the great demon to help you... It's not so easy to use the power of the great demon in a stable reality... With your ability... You want to support them? Unfortunately, you can't do it... You are indeed a genius... This ritual cannot be shaken by our ability alone... But you will never be able to complete it... You will all die here...'
"I have no way to support them remotely? You must be kidding, Father."
Li Lin, who was unable to move at all, grinned and connected the players' private chat lines.
'Open your first seal.'
"W-what?"
'No time to explain! Hurry!'
In response to the scolding in the private chat channel, the players subconsciously spread out the pale books in their hands.
The symbol of the first seal suddenly began to burn fiercely at some point, and a bright and dazzling white light gradually rose up around it.
"W-what?"
Looking at the holy light that suddenly lit up, the thrown book spread out on the wooden floor, creating a layer of light curtain.
As if it were a product of light itself, the brilliant knight walked out of the glory and looked at the monsters hiding in the shadows and roaring softly, with a slightly indifferent expression on his perfect face.
A golden longbow was slung across his back, his moon-white robe and thighs were covered with marks of victory, and a dazzling crown was worn on his head, as if he was the embodiment of victory. As long as this person appeared on the battlefield, he would inevitably bring endless victory. The knight in white was rejected by the world and floated in the air, with endless light and shadow all around him.
As if to confront the corpses spreading in the gloomy black fog, skeleton knights holding holy flame swords and riding white horses leaped out from the light and shadow. The silent army gathered at the side of the white knight, and flags depicting victory were erected behind each knight, dispelling the surrounding shadows and distortions in the nightmare. Only the first seal artifact in the hands of the players was releasing a dazzling light, as if summoning something to come.
"No one can stop me from winning... No one can stop the promise from coming..."
Looking at the endless number of headless corpses on the ground, the White Knight floated in the air with an indifferent expression.
"Before the appointed time comes, all the dead will return to dust. Those who stand in my way will be turned into dust and fall into the hellfire, never to be reborn."
The White Knight looked around and raised his hand to hold up the scepter. In the sky, the gray-white holy light sprinkled on the shadows like a rain curtain, illuminating the players' path forward.
